Reboot Your Climate Time From Earth Hour To Earth Day Everyday, BBM Sir!

Based on his pronouncements at least since last year, President Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos Jr knows much about Climate Change. And indeed, Malacañang Palace switched off the lights on 25 March 2023 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM in celebration of “Earth Hour” as did the rest of presidential offices the world over (I surmise). Good, but not good enough. That was only reducing the energy demands from Malacañang Palace for 60 minutes. Yesterday. 22 April 2023, was celebrated “Earth Day” – good for 24 hours. What did Malacañang do?

(“60 Minutes” from cordcuttersnews.com, “Earth Day” from leadership-sustainability.com)

Let me guess. Last year, BBM spoke at the 77^th UN General Assembly (UNGA) 21 Sept 2022 (Rappler, rappler.com). Among other things, BBM said most importantly:

We call on industrialized countries to immediately fulfill their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, provide climate financing and technology transfer for adaptation for the most vulnerable and developing countries…

BBM’s UNGA call puts non-industrialized countries like the Philippines as climate waiters, not workers.

BBM is the Interim Secretary of Agriculture of his country – he should show the world that he means what he says, practices what he preaches in agriculture. (Read below.)

Early 2023, Helen Flores says, as Chair of the PH Climate Change Commission (CCC), “Marcos Jr Ups Budget For Climate Change Programs By 48%” (23 Jan 2023, PhilStar, philstar.com). Ms Helen does not state how many billions of pesos is 48% increase, but she says CCC Vice Chair & Executive Director Robert Borje says:

We have to ensure that various government agencies and various government institutions not just plan, but actually implement these climate change programs. (my emphasis)

Me, as an organic advocate for the last 56 years, vocally and virtually, in brief encounters and in blogs, I have been longing to see Organic Agriculture (OA) as a national PH program and not simply undertaken by knowledgeable organic groups.

Actually, there is a law. Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office 3 (rfo3.da.gov.ph) says:

Organic Agriculture (OA) as defined in Philippine Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 or RA 10068 includes all agricultural systems that promote the ecologically sound, socially acceptable, economically viable and technically feasible production of food and fibers. It dramatically reduces external inputs by refraining from the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

Above, Mr Borje says that of the CCC budget for 2022, 83% was for Adaptation and 17% for Mitigation. Me, I’m asking: “How much budget is for Organic Agriculture?” OA is not simply for adaptation or mitigation, whatever they mean – OA is for zeroing (making zero) the greenhouse gases generated by chemical agriculture that Filipino farmers insist on practicing despite warnings that CA generates Greenhouse Gases that generate Climate Change that makes impossible the solution of Farmer Poverty and resolution of Climate Change. CA Farmers are making their/our problems worse!

If farmers don’t know what they should be doing, what is the Secretary of Agriculture doing? Asking as a friend!@517